Dish handler



Nov. 18, 1924.

Filed June 6, 1922 F i W ,INVENTORS A If." JARLABQUJ& I -Z EL EN FOUNTAIN. I Y 1 ATTURNE Patented Nov. id, 1924;.

UNITED sr TES MARIE san ABoUsANn HELEN FOUNTAIN, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

DISH HANDLER.

Application filed June 6, 1922. Seriafl No. 566,225.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, MARIE SAnLABoUs and HELEN FOUNTAIN, both residing in New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Dish Handler, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to handling devices, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide an implement by means of which dishes may be handled during dishwashing. Dishes on which food has been served ordinarily have left thereon particles of the food, together With films of grease, so that it is necessary to immerse such used dishes in hot soapy water in order that they may be properly cleaned.

Dishwashing is a disagreeable operation when manually performed, and one of the objects of this invention, therefore, is to provide an implement by means of which dishes may be firmly and securely held and by which such dishes may be immersed with out the hand coming in contact with the liquid.

Another object of the invention is to provide an implement for the purposes set forth which will be provided with yielding gripping surfaces formed of such material that fragile dishes may be handled'and held securely without danger of breakage.

Another object of the invention is to provide an implement for the purposes described by means of which dishes may be firmly held without danger of breakage, the implement being provided with a plurality of gripping surfaces of yielding material, these gripping surfaces being adapted to conform to the contour of the dish.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than those referred to above, will be inpart obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein we have shown a preferred form of embodiment of our invention: I V

Figure 1 is a viewof the device in side elevation with parts in cross-section.

Figure 2 is a top-plan view of the device; and

Figure 3 is a viewof the device on the line 33 of Figure 1. 1

With reference now to the drawings, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the views thereof, the reference characters 1 and 2 designate a pair of rigid members formed near their extremities with surfaces 3 and 4, these surfaces being adapted to form a-handle when to the proper form and then split longitudi nally to form the two members.

At the handle ends the members are oine together by means of a spring 5, this spring being of the coiled wire form, and'an end of the spring being inserted in each of the ends of the handles 3 and 4l,as illustrated in Figure 1. At the other ends, the members 1 and 2 are slightly pointed, as designated at 6, and the pointed ends are inserted into claw-like members 7.

The members 7 are formed of soft rubber or other yielding material of that character, and are removably disposed on the members 1 and 2 in such position that the tips of the claws, designated as 8, 8 will first engage when the members 1 and 2 are forced together by the handle. On the inner surfaces of the claws there are formed a plurality of projecting surfaces, 9, 9, these being in the form of spaced ridges formed integrally with the main body of the claws.

It will be understood that ordinary dishes which are to be handled or otherwise manipulated by the implements shown, have slightly bowed marginst-ogether with an annular flange on the bottom, on which the dish ordinarily rests. The implement will be held with the jaws open and passed over the margin of the dish until the tip of one of the claw-s 7 has engaged the dish at a point beyond the flange. The marginal edge of the dish will then strike the inner surface of the other claw and engage between adjacent projection-s 9, 9 when the implement is forced together. In this way the dish itself operates to provide a fulcrum for pressing the marginal edge into a space between adjacent ridges. The dish will, therefore, be securely held and may be handled in any manner desired.

Obviously, the claw members being made of yielding material, the claws will conform themselves to the contour of the dish, and we have found it possible, by designing the claws in the manner illustrated, to provide a gripping means which is satisfactory for all ordinary styles of dishes. This includes, of course, plates, cups, saucers and other household dishes of that type.

The spring member 5 illustrated forms a satisfactory means by which the two arms of the device are pivotally mounted together and, furthermore, this spring is adjusted so that it will normally hold the claws a slight distance apart so that a dish may be readily grasped therebetween.-

It will be seen that we have devised an implement well adapted to attain each and all of the objects previously set forth. The device is simple in construction and may be cheaply made. Furthermore, it provides a means by which dishes may be manipulated during the washing operation without any contact.- of the hand with the washing water.

By reason of the gripping surfaces being made in the form described, it is possible to secure a. firm grip on dishes of varying sizes and shapes, and the gripping surfaces being constructed of a yielding material, make it possible to handle dishes of fragile construction without danger of breakage.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An implement of the class described comprising in combination, a pair of handle members movably connected one with the other whereby said members may have their ends brought together when hand operated, adjacent ends ofthe said members having claw-like dish-engaging members attached thereto, the said dish-engaging members being formed of yielding materialuand having inwardly bent tips and a plurality of transversely disposed spaced ridges on opposed faces thereof] 2. An implement of the, class described comprising, in combination, a pair of rigid members provided with surfaces disposed near one end thereof adapted to be engaged by the hand, a coiled spring having an end engaged in the end of each of said members near the hand-engaging surface thereon, and a pair of claw-like dish-engagingmembers disposed on the otherends of said members, said dish-engaging members being formed of yielding material and having inwardly bent tips and a plurality of transversely disposed spaced ridges on opposed surfaces thereof.

In testimony whereof, we our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

' MARIE SARLABOUS.

HELEN FOUNTAIN. lVitnesses EMMA erminus, DOROTHY lVAnn. 

